Rapid growth sees construction firm expand into Tyneside base

TW Construction has relocated from Teesside to Tyneside in a bid to serve existing - and win new - clients across the North East

Share

Tony Whelan of TW Construction

A construction services firm is expanding into new offices on Tyneside after recording rapid growth in the last year.

TW Construction, which was founded by entrepreneur Tony Whelan in 2011, achieved revenues of around £500,000 in each of its first two financial years as the market recovered from the recession, but turnover for 2014 is heading towards the £5m mark following a surge in demand in the construction and property maintenance markets.

Now the firm is relocating to a new office in Low Fell, Gateshead, to be closer to its Tyneside clients, which include Vertu Motors, Hodgson Newcastle and Jennings Ford.

Bradley Hall assisted Whelan in the £185,000 purchase of the three-storey building. Whelan leased the vacant part of the property back to TW Construction, which has taken the first floor.

Whelan said the investment provides an excellent opportunity to help TW Construction maintain steady growth and take on extra staff.

Numbers aren’t know yet but the move provides a base to serve clients across the region.

He said: “We are moving from our original base in Wynyard to bigger premises in close proximity to our clients in the north of the region. We needed help from a company that had knowledge of the local market and Bradley Hall negotiated a sale and leaseback deal for a property in an ideal location for us.

“It positions us well for further growth, particularly in the building maintenance market where we have won a significant amount of work.

“However, we will still be able to service our clients in the south of the region from our Low Fell base.”

The move represents a change in fortunes for Whelan, who ran Newcastle-based Whelan Construction until it collapsed into administration in July 2011 after a fall in orders.

The firm, founded by Whelan’s father in 1972, had grown strongly to become one of the North East’s more successful independent builders, reporting turnover of more than £30m in 2007, until it became one of the casualties of the slump in the construction industry, leaving 50 staff out of work.

Neil Hart, director at Bradley Hall, said: “The fortunes of the construction and property market often go hand in hand and both have been buoyant in recent months. This explains the growth of TW Construction and the influx of commercial and residential buildings that have come onto the market.

“TW Construction’s move to Tyneside is a key part of Tony’s bold and ambitious plans for the business and we wish him well.”